


Sunset be glory on the rocks

by Kooriicolada (WHM_Koorii)



Series: Ryders & Romances [2]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Default Scott Ryder, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Read the notes for any spoiler warnings, Scott is Smitten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 03:06:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10548996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WHM_Koorii/pseuds/Kooriicolada
Summary: Vetra hadn't considered what it would be like to meet a Pathfinder finally, but it certainly wasn't this.  A human who looked at her like he was constantly startled by her presence.She never expected to find someone who could be the rock she steadied herself by and not the other way around.





	

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers for Vetra's loyalty mission.**
> 
> Much as my other posted Andromeda fic is, this is meant to be a repository for drabbles based around the Male Ryder/Vetra pairing.

It was only later, after Vetra's nerves had settled, that she really thought about it.  In the heat of the moment, the worry for her sister and the accusations, the mystery….  She hadn't paid it any mind then, but now?  
 

Her mandibles twitched and she ducked her head, wry and helplessly warmed.  She slept better that night, with that knowledge and an echo of _I care about Sid because I care about_ **_you_ ** in her thoughts.  
 

The next day cycle she went hunting. Scott wasn't hard to find, never was.  She found him sitting in the deserted cargo bay on a crate, staring blankly at the Nomad.  
  


"Hey Ryder," she said by way of greeting. He looked up at her with the same wide eyed look he'd given her when he'd come to claim the _Tempest_ . Back then she'd thought he was wary of her, intimidated like she'd asked.  There'd been a little pause in his step, expression unreadable beyond _startled_.  
 

It was kind of cute, really.    
  


"Hey," he said after several seconds pause. "Sid okay?"  
 

"Fine," Vetra shot back quickly, "Ignoring my calls."  
 

Scott cracked a smile and Vetra moved to lean against the crates beside him. "Sara used to do that when I pissed her off."  Raising his voice in a mocking falsetto Scott said, "Damn it, Scott, you're the _younger_ twin.  Stop telling me to be careful."  He snorted, tilted his head back and grinned up at her.  That smile was nice to see; it had taken awhile for them to crack Scott's quiet, calm attitude.  Underneath it there was a firebomb with a wicked sense of humor who gave as good as he got.  What was the saying Vetra had heard once?   _Watch out for the quiet ones.  
_  

"She that much of a handful?  Good thing we didn't get saddled with her for a Pathfinder then."  
 

"Sara's always been the Captain Kirk to my Spock."  
 

"Sooo…"  Vetra drawled the sound out.  "I take it she has a thing for Asari?"  
 

The startled bark of laughter she got came along with another of those wide-eyed stares.  It made her tilt her head, preening just a little.  Hoo, she was screwed wasn't she? "I can't believe you understand that reference," he muttered.  Then: "She's...been known to date some on occasion."  
  


"Don't worry," Vetra said reaching out to pat his shoulder.  "I won't tell Peebee."  
 

"Probably a good idea.  I don't think we'd survive those two getting along.  It'd be a literal house on fire and we don't have enough houses for that."  Scott's face slowly turned serious and thoughtful again, the familiar furrow in his brow forming.  "She'd be better at this," he said quietly.  "What I mean is...she was—is the Indiana Jones."  
 

"Afraid I don't get that one," Vetra said. "But it doesn't matter.  You've been doing a great job.  Haven't steered us wrong yet."  
 

"An explorer who finds artifacts and gets them back to museums where they belong, and beats the bad guys in the process," he said.  "I'll show you sometime.  Those movies were Sara's favorite, and I know she has a digital library of them on her omni-tool.  I'll get it from her la—"  
 

He cut himself off sharply, like he'd reached for something with a missing limb.  Vetra had no idea what she would do if it was Sid in a coma.  Lose her mind, probably.  "Later," she said quietly, "when she wakes up."  
 

"Yeah."  
 

The silence between them was fraught and fragile.  Scott was always a cool head and calm, steady voice.  Anything she could say right then would just be something he'd already thought of.  So, she cleared her throat.  "Hey...I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, diving right in.  No time like the present.  
  


"What's wrong?"  
 

"Nothing's _wrong._ "  
 

"For once?" he muttered, eying her suspiciously.  
 

"For once," she said in firm agreement.  "It's about the...mess with Sid.  Don't think I missed what you were doing.  Back there, in Meriweather's base. Opening the workshop, disabling the turrets and the mech.  You made sure Sid never hurt anyone even when it made it harder on us."  
 

Scott ducked his head, chin half buried in the neck of his hoodie.  With as wide as the collar was he looked like he had something of a cowl and it made her teeth click.  His fingers scratched against the scruff on his cheek and he looked up at her from under his eyelashes.  "I...didn't want to be the one telling her to kill people," he admitted.  "She didn't need that on her hands yet."  
 

That care—so mirrored in her own—did horrible melting things to her insides.  She _really_ needed to sort out whether this was heading where she hoped it was or not.  That was something to think about later.  
 

"She's seen the ugly side now whether I like it or not." Which she didn't.  "She'll have to deal with it eventually."  
 

"I wanted to save her from it as long as possible, you know?"  
 

"I do know."  Vetra sighed and passed a hand over her forehead.  "And I...wanted to thank you for it."  For being there for both of them, like he'd said he was.  
 

Scott shrugged, lazy and comfortable where he sat, looking up her with that strange warm-and-startled expression.  "Like I said—I care."  
  
He said it so simply, so straightforward and honestly, that it made something warm pinch in her chest.  "Yeah," she said.  "Yeah, I know."


End file.
